There is an urban legend stating that daddy long-legs spiders have the most potent venom of any spider, but that their chelicerae (fangs) are either too small or too weak to puncture human skin; the same legend is also repeated of the harvestman and crane fly, also called "daddy long-legs" in some locales. Indeed, pholcid spiders do have a short fang structure (called uncate). However, brown recluse spiders also have uncate fang structure, but are able to deliver medically significant bites. Either pholcid venom is not toxic to humans or there is a musculature difference between the two arachnids, with recluses, being hunting spiders, possessing stronger muscles for fang penetration.

In 2004, the Discovery Channel show MythBusters set out to test the daddy long-legs myth episode 13 - "Buried in concrete". Hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage first established that the spider's venom was not dangerously toxic by injecting it into a mouse, which showed no ill effects. After measuring the spider's fangs at approximately 0.25 mm (average human skin thickness varies from about 0.5mm to 4mm), Adam Savage allowed himself to be bitten, and reported that the bite produced little more than a mild short-lived burning sensation. This appears to confirm that, contrary to popular belief, pholcid bites can penetrate human skin but will deliver a harmless envenomation. Additionally, recent research by Alan Van Dyke has shown that pholcid venom is relatively weak in its effects on insects as well.

According to Rick Vetter of the University of California at Riverside, the daddy long-legs spider has never harmed a human and there is no evidence that they are dangerous to humans.

The urban legend ostensibly stems from the fact that the daddy long-legs spider is known to prey upon deadly venomous spiders, such as the redback, a member of the black widow genus Latrodectus. By extrapolation, it was thought that if the daddy long-legs spider could regularly kill a spider capable of delivering fatal bites to humans, then it must be more venomous, and the uncate fangs were accused of prohibiting it from killing people. In reality, it is merely quicker than the redback.

Cellar spiders sure can amaze me. They're so strange to look at up close for being so common. I guess being that small, one often wouldn't be used to seeing much more than a bunch of legs, and they tend to keep out of sight, so there are plenty of contexts to see them in which they usually aren't. This amassment of minuscule legs clinging to a bigger set of legs is nothing short of surreal. Especially with the pure black background, there's something so enigmatic and mysterious about this bizarre clutch of suspended entities. Just marvellous.

Yeah, I remember seeing a deadly spider get killed by a cellar spider in a video. Sounds like a pretty humiliating defeat, but then again, a body that slender isn't the easiest target, so these guys at least have the advantage of getting to stall for time.

Aww. you know I have arachnophobia and I am terrified of spiders but you make them look so pretty in your pictures. These ones here are cute though if I saw them in real life I'd probably scream and freak out.

I've always called these "basement spiders" because that's where I see them most often--and I hear you on the myth, pretty tired of people trying to say "they're so poisonous" with an air that they are absolutely right! and they argue when you try to correct them!

Very nice shot, I had no idea their young hung on their backs like that, I thought that was more a wolf spider thing. Actually looks pretty horrifying in a way. Little ball of spindly legs!

Hm, I know the same myth, that it's posion would be dangerous to humans but can't penetrate the skin. However it might be true here (in Germany), as there are no spiders at all that are deadly poisonous or really dangerous to humans. But I don't know

Fantastic shots.And I love DLL, they're the chilling-est spiders there are!They just hang out around the place, the only time I ever kill them is when they're in my shower, because it's kind of creepy.

stunning and shocking at the same time.i can not say that i like spiders in general - or daddy long-legs in detail - a lot but nevertheless they are fascinating creatures.a truly beautiful shot you made here. is the color edited or is this how they really look like?good work.